As technology advances, many artists are using digital tools to create mind-bending optical illusion art. However, other creative minds prefer to take a more hands-on approach, reaching for their pencils and paintbrushes to create eye-catching trompe-l’œil techniques. Taking surreal art a step further, Moscow-based husband and wife duo Alexander Khokhlov and Veronika Ershova use the human face as their canvas in their most recent body art series, Humiforms.

Created using graphic, black and white makeup, each trick-of-the-eye portrait transforms the model into a familiar object or symbol. From an exclamation point to a dandelion, the series explores human emotion and individualism. Khokhlov and Ershova explain in their artist statement: “Internal contradictions and harmony, a passion for excitement and excessive conservatism, a thirst for freedom and selective attention—these are some of the themes that emerge in the Humiforms series.”

Taking anywhere from two to six hours to create each piece, some of the images feature various props and accessories to complete the illusion. In one piece, a model’s head and torso is transformed into a larger-than-life shuttlecock, complete with a paper cut-out cone and “feathers.” In another, a painted violin covers the model’s bust and face, while the neck of the instrument is created by sculpting her hair into a high ponytail.

For even more of Khokhlov and Ershova’s visual transformations, head over to their website.

Moscow-based husband and wife duo Alexander Khokhlov and Veronika Ershova use the human face as their canvas in their most recent body art series, Humiforms.

Created using graphic, black and white makeup, each trick-of-the-eye portrait transforms the model into a familiar object or symbol.